Can KDP authors run Amazon Streaming TV ads?
Not with a KDP author account: Amazon opens Streaming TV to book vendors in the US, and its API refused a real KDP account we tested. What publishers need.
Not with a KDP author account, as far as we could measure. Amazon opens Streaming TV (formerly Sponsored TV) to "book vendors" in the US only, and never names KDP authors. When we tested a real KDP author account in October 2026, Amazon's Sponsored TV API refused it on all 11 of its marketplaces, US included, while it accepted a vendor account. The book vendors Amazon describes are, most likely, publishers that sell their books to Amazon as vendors.
Checked against Amazon's help pages, product page and API in October 2026.
What we measured
| Account | Amazon's Sponsored TV API |
|---|---|
| KDP author, 11 marketplaces | Refused everywhere: "Unsupported EntityType" |
| Vendor, 6 marketplaces | Accepted everywhere |
The refusal is about the type of account, not about access: the same app reads both. Amazon's console may still differ from its API. To see for yourself, open "Create campaign" in the Amazon Ads console and look for a Streaming TV card.
The rules for book vendors
- The US marketplace only. Streaming TV for book vendors is not offered elsewhere.
- 3 or more eligible titles under a single pen name, claimed in Author Central.
- The same Amazon account for Author Central and Amazon Ads.
- Books sold by Amazon. A book sold only by third-party sellers gets no impressions; its campaign resumes when Amazon sells it again.
- Books that follow Amazon's book ad policy, and an Amazon Ads account in good standing with a valid payment method.
These are the same pen name rules as Sponsored Brands for authors (what they ask).
What a book vendor's ad needs
- A TV-quality video: 16:9, at least 1920×1080, 15 or 30 seconds, with your name or logo shown 3 seconds (the specs). The console can generate one with AI.
- A book worth landing on: in stock, rated 4 stars or more, with a good product page. One campaign per book.
- A budget: no minimum, but Amazon suggests $150 to $250 a day for new advertisers (the cost).
What a KDP author can run instead
- Sponsored Products: one book is enough, from a few dollars a day, and it sells directly (what Sponsored Products ads are).
- Sponsored Brands, once you have 3 books under one pen name: your photo, your pen name and your books, or a video, in Amazon's search results (the rules for authors).
Streaming TV builds awareness, measured over 14 days in searches and new readers, not in sales per click: even for a publisher, it suits a launch with a budget for reach.
Frequently asked questions
Can authors outside the US run Streaming TV?
No. Amazon limits Streaming TV for books to the US, and to book vendors. In Canada, Mexico, Brazil and the UK it is offered to brands and vendors.
Can a KDP author run video ads on Amazon?
Yes, with Sponsored Brands video once you have 3 books under one pen name. The video plays in Amazon's search results, not on a TV.
Sources
- Streaming TV eligibility requirements, Amazon Ads
- Understand Streaming TV, Amazon Ads
- Create a Streaming TV campaign, Amazon Ads
- Streaming TV ads (product page), Amazon Ads
- Amazon Ads policies, Amazon Ads
- Author Central, Amazon
Gloriads is an Amazon Ads automation platform that creates, monitors and optimizes Sponsored Products campaigns for sellers, brands, authors and agencies, by rules you control. See how it works.